Teaching Science Badly – and Well

dear Pervez
it will be said science has been taught well,when the science pupil is made to master ``facts``, in a proper and correct way. facts must never suffer change even in a barely tangible measure. when this accuracy is ingrained in the science scholar, he will not need any religious, moral or SCIENCE sermon to tell him facts must never be changed deliberately, for the forces of caste, creed or greed.

But Hamidm, to change the unpalatable subject and on another point, perhaps you know that the best mathematical and IT talent is neither with Chinese nor the hinjus nor anywhere in the USA. It is in Romania and the Czech Republic .. and neighbouring regions.

#79 by hamidm2

Sorry .. but the truth is usually not that palatable ...

#77 by bjkumar

[everytime i go to visit her i find the trash cans full of vodka bottles (yes, i check!)]

Sure. Underneath a pile of used condoms i.e. ...

Re: # 78

zeemax,

..... bjkumar`s remark was funny, yours was crude as usual .......

#75

[everytime i go to visit her i find the trash cans full of vodka bottles (yes, i check!)]

Always looking for free booze, aren`t you?

masadi re iLog:

You have made the correct decision. Godspeed to you Sir.

tehsin, you idiot !

`` Even today go to any good American University and attend a philosophy, history, political science, art or anthropology class and you will find that the class is full of Americans, but go to a calculus, physics, chemistry or natural sciences class and you will see them disproportionately filled with Muslims from Arab and non Arab countries. ``

..... first of all, for every muslim in these classes there are at least 15 indians and twenty chinks and you will neve find an african american in a topology or number theory class -they are all in cornell west`s class on how to fry a turkey without setting your house on fire ........

....... why ? ........ here is how it works, and i will explain it to you just one time: a typical calc 101 class at a major university starts out with over 500 students with students sitting on the floor and rolling in the aisles ....... after the first test, there are about 300 left and after mid-term you are lucky if there are a hundred ....... out of the hundred, ten commit suicide because they realize they are not as smart as their parents led them to believe and another forty take up sociology, history, greek mythology and philosophy so that they can make easy a`s and drink more beer which, after all, is the main purpose of going to college and you cannot graduate unless you consume 400 gallons over the 4 years - at places like arizona state the requirement is 600 gallons ........ and don`t let your daughter fool you - it is the same at small liberal arts colleges ........ my daughter claims she goes to the `geekiest` school in the world and yet evertime i go to visit her i find the trash cans full of vodka bottles (yes, i check!) ......

....... anyway, back to the subject ........calculus, physics and chemistry sciences are `weed-out` classes - i was told that on my first day on the job as a math ta when i complained about having to grade fifty tests - sure enough, by the end of the semester i was grading only ten or so .......... those who flunk out - four out of five - go on to read utterly useless subjects like history and sociology and end up like masadi mian, dick cheney, and my favourite bartender and philosopher ............ unfortunately these flunkies go on to become politicians and actors and rule the world or , more alarmingly, pour your drinks .....................

...... and, in case you didn`t notice, the nerdy science students from india and china are kicking the history-reading american posteriors to the point that even george bush is learning to do long division ...........

#71 by ahmedmadani

The wall is good for Pakistan. Iran is preparing for war, and it might spread into Pakistani Baluchistan if there`s no wall.

...here is an interesting science project going on in pakistan.........

http://sse.lums.edu.pk/

The ``illiterate`` doctor writes <<< The prosperity or poverty of nations, and of individuals, has become contingent upon their ability to understand and control science >>>

The poverty and prosperity of nations has more to do with their position in the global pecking order than any ``science``. Science has become one of several whores in the ``harem`` of the power elite. It is also amazing to note that the good ``illiterate`` doctor regards humanities as having nothing to do with science, as such he is quite oblivious of the method of science and quite dogmatic in what he considers science. Why science fails in Pakistan is because regardless of mastery it has failed to produce results in Pakistan and hense, as the SCIENCE of humanities would correctly predict, people lose interest and get discouraged when faced with multiple failure, no doubt it would get de-valued in a social structure that has been forced into dependant development and where science fails because the great powers see no benefit in lesser people developing that mindset or the resulting benefits......Doctor, get an education rather than trying to resurrect the ``science`` of the past without understanding the world of the present....

Re: # 68

Massadi Mian:

Global pecking order was not Allah given. Therefore, please do not use your irrelevant adjectives like ``illiterate` for people who have an alternative views to yours.

The pecking order has been created through the use of knowledge and human mind. ``In Knowledge lies the power`` is the paradigm that has been followed by the majority of humans living on this world. The paradigm ``In Islam Lies the power``, or ``In Christianity lies the power``, for that matter ``In religion lies the power`` is long over. You might consider applying your knowledge to prepare yourself and those who believe in you for the knowledge society.

Re: # 68

Excellent commentary. Old times people had blind belief in Religion ( miracles and magic stories etc ) like donkey who will work whole day in hope of getting food in evening and owner will whip him and give little food. Now todays misuguided youth have blind faith in confidence in science and techknowledge that they can get good job and be HAPPY ALL time.
I consider teaching is good if boys and girls go to college and need no tution.
I consider teaching ok if boys and girls go college and also have tution help.
I consider teaching bad if do not attend college but just go to tution.
Failure of teaching system starts after primary school when tution starts.
But I do not blame yound people as they have real problems as they are breathing air, drinking water which is life less and food is factory produced by playing with nature and poisoning what we breathe, what drink and what we eat and damaging eyes by watching TV and movies ( indian vulgar movies) and damaging their ears and sensibilities permanantly also always reading under artificial electric bulbs and devoid of natural sunlight , suffocating themselves with cold humid air from airconditioners. I do not tell even my daughters as they feel , I do not understood modern world and they they say strange things . They feel I hate modern things as I am old and just getting remorse of getting old etc. I told them not advice me my ways are right, norrow and straight. Nobody listens nowdays to sane things . Any way if students cut on tutions will be better for parents.
Continued next page

Re: # 69
For continued page. Read in detail my comment about GM food by K.Siddiqi , you will be be surpriced to find information about monster goat.That is good article and it is wriien densely with full of knowledge.

An excellent article Hoodhboy sahib. As a science teacher at a private school of the sort you be- moan (though not in pakistan) --obsessed with exam results--I agree with everything you say.

I was lucky to go to a school myself where we used to be expected to find out things ourselves via experiments. Feynman has some wonderful writing on what is good and bad science teaching.

Continued from post 65

For your benefit, read what Irfan Husain has to say about knowledge and reason in my post 60.
I pray, he happens to be one hundred percent Musalman. Otherwise...? Allah Malik! I am afraid he too is not BRAVE enough to endure your onslaught!

Samar